1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a brake system for a railway vehicle and method of making the same.
2. Prior Art Statement
The brake system of a railway vehicle conventionally includes an actuating cylinder, brake shoes for the vehicle, and suitable mechanical devices interconnected between the cylinder and shoes. The entire brake system is operated by a conventional control system.
Accordingly, in such a conventional brake system it is known to provide a brake rod member, a support structure for the brake rod member, with the support structure having a horizontally disposed supporting member which is adapted to support the rod member for sliding movements thereon, and an antifriction component made primarily of an ultra high molecular weight polymeric material and carried by one of the members with the component serving to minimize wear and enable antifriction movements during the sliding movements and as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,818.
It is also known in the art to provide a wear member for use between a pair of relatively movable components of a railway vehicle with the wear member comprising a support having a continuous supporting surface, an ultra high molecular weight polymeric material having an antifriction wear surface, and a metal grid-like structure for attaching the polymeric material to the support and supporting same against the continuous supporting surface while providing integral reinforcement for the polymeric material and as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,039.
However, in the brake system disclosed in the above-mentioned patent, the antifriction component has the deficiency of comparatively high cost which is due to the large amount of polymeric material required and the complex configuration thereof.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved brake system for a railway vehicle.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method of making a brake system of the character mentioned.
Other aspects, embodiments, objects, and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following specification, claims and drawings.